]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/phoenix-fly-project-blue-sky-wingsuit-acrobatics-with-benoit-syben/feed/0WWL Flight Line: Flying With Jokke Sommerhttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-wwl-flight-line/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-wwl-flight-line/#commentsWed, 18 Mar 2015 12:31:31 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16592Flight Line is a new web series from the World Wingsuit League, featuring the best wingsuit pilots in the world. In this episode, we learn more about Jokke Sommer’s drive to become a world-class wingsuit pilot and competitor at the WWL Grand Prix.

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-wwl-flight-line/feed/0The Fairytale Flight Linehttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-fairytale-flight-line/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-fairytale-flight-line/#commentsWed, 11 Mar 2015 12:24:26 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16571Today’s daily shot of adrenaline is brought to you by Jokke Sommer and Halvor Angvik. If you had the chance to fly from a mountain that looks more like a fairytale than reality, would you do it? Thanks to Halvor for sharing this video with us. Visit Jokke Sommer’s fan page to follow more of [...]

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jokke-sommer-wingsuit-base-jump-fairytale-flight-line/feed/0Nighttime Wingsuit BASE Jump With Flares. No Pressure!http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/patrick-kerber-titlis-night-wingsuit-base-jump/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/patrick-kerber-titlis-night-wingsuit-base-jump/#commentsTue, 10 Mar 2015 12:37:10 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16565After a practice flight off Mount Titlis during the day, wingsuit pilot Patrick Kerber fires up some flares and repeats the same flight line at night. Yes, at night! No pressure. The end result is a long exposure shot to show the line he flew.

]]>After a practice flight off Mount Titlis during the day, wingsuit pilot Patrick Kerber fires up some flares and repeats the same flight line at night. Yes, at night! No pressure. The end result is a long exposure shot to show the line he flew.

]]>During a Wingsuit Speed Camp at Skydive DeLand, Steve Hubbard experienced an uncontrollable spin while flying with Jay Moledzki and another jumper as part of the experienced group. Nearing break off, Steve makes a small movement to check his airspace and locate Jay, which results in an unrecoverable spin. Steve responded by deploying his main canopy to get out of the spin. Unsurprisingly, the main opened with line twists, and following the cutaway, Steve landed safely under his reserve. Huge thanks to Steve for sharing his video and recollection of the jump so that others can learn from this incident.

Here’s Steve recollection of the jump:

This was the last jump on day one of the Wingsuit Speed Camp held at Skydive Deland, hosted by Carlos Pedro Briceño, Jay Moledzki, and Rob Heron. Things had been progressing nicely throughout the jumps earlier in the day, with the groups getting tighter and faster. On the last jump of the day, we really wanted to push it and end the day on a very strong note, setting the stage for the remaining 2 days of the camp.

On the jump, everything started out very typical, just faster than the previous jumps. Jay was flying faster, which made me have to fly faster. I was working hard to stay in my assigned slot in our formation (forward and to the left of Jay). We were flying strong, yet relaxed, and according to Jay’s FlySight data, we reached speeds of 150 MPH horizontally. As the jump continued, we executed our turns with no real issues. There were a couple of points where I slipped a little out of slot, but was able to come back and slide back in with little problem – everything was going great.

Once we made our final turn on to the return leg of our planned flight, we really turned up the speeds, as we had been doing on earlier jumps. Things were feeling great. I got a bit out in front of Jay and wanted to maintain visual contact with him and this is where the trouble started.

Once out in front, I turned my head to look back at Jay, but couldn’t see him. He was blocked by my right arm wing. Not a real problem – I could just lift up my shoulder, which should clear my view and I’ll be able to see where he is. Sure enough, that worked. Once I had Jay in my sights again, I returned my focus to straight ahead and attempted to return to my standard flight position, lowering my right arm back down to where it should be. In doing that, I over-corrected and my right shoulder dipped lower than it should have, allowing the 150+ MPH wind to hit the top of my shoulder arm wing, pushing me way off axis. This can be clearly seen in the video – when my right shoulder is far below my left I look almost sideways! After reviewing the jump videos and talking to several highly experienced wingsuiters, it is that moment – where my right shoulder was below my left that was the beginning of the end. I tried to correct the situation, knowing that this could get bad quickly. I rushed that correction and that’s what started my roll (which you can also see in the video, from both perspectives).

Despite everything happening incredibly fast (all this took place in about 2 seconds), I till realize how much trouble I was in. Once the roll started, at those speeds, there really was no recovering it for me, but I tried everything I could think of in the moment. It seemed anything I did only made the situation worse. I was able to stop the rolling, but that only put me on my back, in an uncontrolled flat spin. It was here when I knew I was in major trouble. Thankfully, I had a fairly clear idea of where I was, altitude wise. The roll started at approximately 4500’ and the flat spin started very shortly after that. In the middle of the flat spin, while trying to recover and fly out of it, I had so many things going through my mind at what seemed like lightning fast speeds, yet I could very clearly hear my audible altimeter beeping at the prescribed altitudes – I heard my 4000’ alarm go off shortly after everything started, and then I heard my 3500’ alarm go off some time after that. At some point, between my 3500’ alarm and my final 2500’ alarm, I came to the realization that recovery and stability was just not going to happen – I had to resort to plan B.

Plan B. Yikes. I completely abandoned whatever stability I was hoping to obtain and immediately ran through every option I had. All I could hear is the voice of my mentor and friend, Scotty Burns, who taught me how to wingsuit. 2 things stuck out in my mind. First was that if you stay in a flat spin long enough, you run the risk of passing out, due to the centrifugal forces of the spin. The more violent the spin, the less time you have. My friends and I counted, after I was down on the ground – I did 21 rotations in 13 seconds – I don’t know if that would be considered violent, but it sure seemed pretty fast to me. I knew I had to end the spin one way or the other, and I had to do so fast. The second thing I remember Scotty telling me was that if you ever go completely unstable, you need to get a canopy out – this will at least slow things down and make them more manageable.

So my decision was made. I knew going to my reserve in that state was out of the question. I had to get my hand to my pilot chute and get my main canopy out, one way or the other. Now this sounds easy enough, but factor in the centrifugal forces from the spin and the massive inflation in the arm wings of the suit – this was no simple task. I estimate that it took me about 5 dedicated seconds to get my hands back to my pilot chute. Once I felt my hacky, I immediately deployed my main canopy, already knowing that there was no way this was going to come out cleanly and that I was certainly going to have to cut away – I was willing to sacrifice my main canopy for some semblance of stability. The main canopy came out (you can see it deploying over my right shoulder), yet the fun wasn’t over yet. As the canopy deployed, because of the spin, the lines were dragged across my helmet, from the right side to the left, and in doing so, it snagged on something – I’m still not quite sure what, but all of a sudden, my head was being pulled to the right. I now had to clear the snag before I cut away the main canopy, which had opened in an incredible amount of line twists and almost immediately started diving at the ground. I estimate that I was at approximately 2500’ when the main canopy came and stopped my flat spin – but the important thing is that it STOPPED MY FLAT SPIN.

I estimate that it took me approximately 3-5 seconds to clear the lines that were caught on my helmet, which allowed the canopy to come out in front of my, with my head going between the risers, giving me a brief view of the canopy – no good. It had line twists practically up the entire line set, from risers to canopy. Again – I was fully expecting a main canopy malfunction, so the view up the lines was just out of habit and to confirm. I immediately reached for my cutaway and reserve handles, pulled one, then the other, and AMAZINGLY, I had one of the best reserve canopy deployments I have ever seen. On heading, no line twists, flying straight and stable and it even had the courtesy of aiming me directly back to the dropzone, giving me a chance to land in a clear and open area.

Once the reserve was out and I realized that the situation was finally under control, I took a second to collect myself. I unzipped my arms from the wingsuit and looked at my altimeter – it read just above 1100’. To be honest, I really expected to be much lower than that – it felt that so much time had passed – I was truly surprised. I unzipped my legs from the suit and landed safely.

In the end, the important things I think to take from my ordeal are these.

1.Pay attention to your training and NEVER, EVER get complacent. You’ll never know when you’ll need it. 2. Even when things go wrong, it is vital to keep your composure and do your best to stay calm. Panicking will only make things worse. 3. And maybe most importantly, you need to analyze your options, make the best decision you can, based on your training, knowledge, and experience, and once your decision is made on how to act, execute that decision, immediately. You can’t afford to wait. You’ll run out of time and altitude before you know it.

Hopefully this experience will help my fellow wingsuiters in some fashion – be safe everyone!

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/friday-freakout-steve-hubbard-uncontrollable-wingsuit-flat-spin-line-twists-cutaway/feed/0Can A Wingsuit Pilot Really Fly (And Land) Blindfolded?http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/can-a-wingsuit-pilot-really-fly-and-land-blindfolded/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/can-a-wingsuit-pilot-really-fly-and-land-blindfolded/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 13:48:30 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16485Watch as Dutch Air Controllers attempt to guide a blindfolded wingsuit pilot (the talented Sam Laming) all the way through freefall to landing. Think they can get him safely to the ground?

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/can-a-wingsuit-pilot-really-fly-and-land-blindfolded/feed/0Friday Freakout: DO NOT PULL LOW – Wingsuit Pilot Can’t Cutaway, Lands With Line Twistshttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/friday-freakout-wingsuit-low-pull-cant-cutaway-line-twists-landing/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/friday-freakout-wingsuit-low-pull-cant-cutaway-line-twists-landing/#commentsFri, 13 Feb 2015 13:36:54 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16462A planned wingsuit flyby ends with an unplanned low pull and nasty line twists. The wingsuit pilot decides to kick out the twists instead of cutting away due to the low altitude, but can’t clear them in time and lands with the lines twists. Remember: altitude is your friend. Don’t pull low.

]]>A planned wingsuit flyby ends with an unplanned low pull and nasty line twists. The wingsuit pilot decides to kick out the twists instead of cutting away due to the low altitude, but can’t clear them in time and lands with the lines twists. Remember: altitude is your friend. Don’t pull low.

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/friday-freakout-wingsuit-low-pull-cant-cutaway-line-twists-landing/feed/0The Need 4 Speed: Chasing Trees & Trucks In A Wingsuithttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/phoenix-fly-need-4-speed-wingsuit-base-jump/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/phoenix-fly-need-4-speed-wingsuit-base-jump/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 13:29:40 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16443Phoenix-Fly’s Factory Team ‘Need 4 Speed’ is back with more wingsuit action, doing what they do best — exploring the mountains with human flight.

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/fly-winter-wingsuit-base-jumps/feed/0Explore The Air: BASE Jumping The Fisher Towershttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/base-jumping-the-fisher-towers-in-moab/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/base-jumping-the-fisher-towers-in-moab/#commentsWed, 04 Feb 2015 13:00:44 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16405One of Miles Daisher’s goals in life is to explore the air surrounding the scenic Fisher Towers in Moab. That’s exactly what he sets out to do in this video, including a spectacularly sketchy landing on top of a 600 foot tower by none other than Sketchy Andy himself — arguably the sketchiest parachute landing [...]

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/base-jumping-the-fisher-towers-in-moab/feed/0World’s First Wingsuit Flight Over Great Pyramidshttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/red-bull-worlds-first-wingsuit-flight-over-great-pyramids-of-giza/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/red-bull-worlds-first-wingsuit-flight-over-great-pyramids-of-giza/#commentsMon, 02 Feb 2015 13:05:14 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16401Cédric Dumont and Noah Bahnson make the first-ever wingsuit flight over the Great Pyramids of Giza — the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World! #LeapOfWonder

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/red-bull-worlds-first-wingsuit-flight-over-great-pyramids-of-giza/feed/0World’s First Wingsuit Flight Over The Three Peaks of Lavaredohttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/steph-davis-worlds-first-wingsuit-flight-over-three-peaks-of-lavaredo/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/steph-davis-worlds-first-wingsuit-flight-over-three-peaks-of-lavaredo/#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 13:09:12 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16375Steph Davis, Ian Mitchard, Chris Espen had the privilege of taking the first-ever wingsuit flight over the Three Peaks of Lavaredo (aka “Tre Cime di Lavaredo”) during the Adventure Outdoor Fest 2014. These are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps, which appear as three distinctive peaks in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern [...]

]]>Steph Davis, Ian Mitchard, Chris Espen had the privilege of taking the first-ever wingsuit flight over the Three Peaks of Lavaredo (aka “Tre Cime di Lavaredo”) during the Adventure Outdoor Fest 2014. These are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps, which appear as three distinctive peaks in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy.

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/the-barn-line-wingsuit-daredevils-fly-over-rooftops/feed/0Can They Pull Off A Near-Impossible Wingsuit Flight?http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jhonathan-florez-near-impossible-wingsuit-base-jump-flight/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/jhonathan-florez-near-impossible-wingsuit-base-jump-flight/#commentsThu, 15 Jan 2015 12:57:17 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16308Wingsuit pilots Jhonathan Florez and James Boole attempt to fly over Monserrate mountain, one of the most iconic landmarks in Bogotá, and it’s not going to be easy. Bad weather, time constraints, and low altitudes make it all feel more like Mission Impossible than James Bond. The danger runs right up till the final, super-sketchy [...]

]]>Wingsuit pilots Jhonathan Florez and James Boole attempt to fly over Monserrate mountain, one of the most iconic landmarks in Bogotá, and it’s not going to be easy. Bad weather, time constraints, and low altitudes make it all feel more like Mission Impossible than James Bond. The danger runs right up till the final, super-sketchy landing so keep it locked.

]]>http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/scotty-bob-wingsuit-base-jump-sudanese-dream/feed/0Trimming Treetops: Wingsuit Proximity Flying by Uli Emanuelehttp://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/uli-emanuele-wingsuit-base-jump-proximity-flying/ http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/uli-emanuele-wingsuit-base-jump-proximity-flying/#commentsTue, 30 Dec 2014 13:43:06 +0000Andrewhttp://iloveskydiving.org/?p=16244Who needs coffee when you can have a shot of awesome for breakfast. Wingsuit pilot Uli Emanuele shows us how to trim treetops on his favorite proximity lines and exit points he opened.